Chapter 1184: 迎面如刀

Reproduced please indicate the source:The gale stabs the face.At such high speed, without the protection of Dao Yuan, it is almost equal to torture.In the whistling wind, Lin Zhenren felt the immense pain at the physical level.His nape was being grabbed, held in a humiliating manner like a dog. His limbs hung stiffly, just dangling in the air...He had no time to consider his appearance.Because all his thoughts had to be focused on one critical question—How to survive?At the Yellow River Meeting, the heavenly pride representing the country was backfired by the blood ghoul, retreating before fighting. He obtained a spot in the main competition but did not even step onto the stage.Zhuang State was almost a laughingstock of the world.It took generations of effort for Zhuang State to ascend to the Stage of River Observation.To wash away this disgrace, it might take even more time.As a Zhuang State citizen, although Lin Zhenren did not feel the same sense of shame, he forced himself to feel that disgrace. Only by knowing the depth of national shame could he more deeply understand Du Ruhuai's anger. Only by deeply understanding Du Ruhuai's anger could he find his own chance of survival.So he closed his eyes against the wind, tears streaming down his face. As the majestic heavenly pride of a nation, he was usually a peerless existence among his contemporaries. At this moment, he was in utter disarray and shame.Du Ruhuai, who was most skilled at showing favor, did not give him any respect, of course, because he had completely rejected him.At this moment, as he forced himself to feel Du Ruhuai's emotions, he was so sad that he couldn't stop crying.He himself couldn't distinguish whether this immense sense of shame that filled his heart was because he was being carried by the back of his neck like a puppy, or because of the national humiliation weighing down on him!He could clearly feel the wrinkles on the hand holding his nape, and he could especially feel the firm will transmitted from that hand.Du Ruhuai already had killing intent.He did not regret choosing to spit blood and withdraw from the competition in the first instance, because Jiang Wang, who swept the entire arena, was precisely the world's number one expert in the Inner Mansion realm. If he had suddenly launched a fatal attack at that time when his sharpness had not been tested, even a True Monarch expert like Yu Xiu could very likely have been careless.In the eight matches of the main competition, his match with Jiang Wang was certainly not the most watched, and True Monarch Yu Xiu might not have paid much attention. And with Jiang Wang's formidable soul power that had defeated Xiang Bei, in an instant, it would have been enough to kill him several times on the soul level.Too risky.Even though the host of the Yellow River Meeting was a Dao Manifestation expert like Yu Xiu... it was still too risky.Didn't Dongguo Bao die too?Although Chu Min didn't die, how much better off was he? The puppet needed to be rebuilt, the exotic beast needed to be found and raised again... how much cultivation time would this cost? He was practically crippled!Stepping onto the stage was a gamble with his life, and he was unwilling to gamble.In fact, he thought very clearly.After Zhu Weimei left, in the entire Zhuang State, he was the most talented.He Ba Dao and Duan Li were both destroyed before the Dragon Lock Pass. The other Outer Mansion cultivators were all mediocre. Zhuang State temporarily had no other person with the potential to reach the Divine Coming realm.After Du Ruhuai, there were no successors.He, Lin Zhenren, was undoubtedly the most promising.A heavenly pride who could reach the main competition of the Yellow River Meeting naturally possessed the possibility of achieving the Divine Coming realm.He was of certain importance to Zhuang State. This could be seen from Du Ruhuai's favorable attitude towards him.This was where his reliance lay. And he believed that destroying the blood ghoul to withdraw from the competition was a huge sacrifice to help the country save face. Chancellor Du should have seen this painstaking effort.However, judging from the current situation. He seemed to have overestimated his importance and underestimated the significance of the Yellow River Meeting...Regarding the former point.Did Zhuang Gaoxian and Du Ruhuai, the monarch and minister, have other options?Who?That Fu Baosong whose face he had stepped on in public?That Li Jianqiu whom he had easily defeated?Or that brute Du Yehua from the army who only knew how to fight recklessly?Regarding the latter point, Emperor Jing's later remark was a scene he had absolutely not anticipated.The problem suddenly became many times more serious!Emperor Jing's words meant that the distribution of interests belonging to Zhuang State at this Yellow River Meeting had been wiped out. And the humiliation he had caused to Zhuang State needed to be re-examined.Waiting for the results on the Stage of River Observation these past two days was tormenting every moment.Because he understood that after the Yellow River Meeting ended, it would be time for the Zhuang Court to settle accounts with him.Zhuang Gaoxian was not a stingy monarch; on the contrary, he was very generous and spared no effort in rewarding meritorious officials. However, there was one point: this Zhuang monarch's rewards, or "investment," must see a return.The country sent him to the Stage of River Observation, the Chancellor personally escorted and guided him, not hesitating to create animosity with a first-ranked Daoist vassal state like Sheng State, to support him in defeating Jiang Limeng...It was all for the honor on the Stage of River Observation and the interests related to the Yellow River Meeting.In the end, all he got was humiliation and loss.He also left a bad impression on Emperor Jing. True Monarch Yu Xiu, who presided over the meeting and came from Yu Jing Mountain, would inevitably have a bad impression of him...Coming to the table this time, he lost everything!Thinking it over and over, as the chip being bet, he could hardly hope to live.He had certainly thought about escaping, but he knew there was absolutely no chance of escaping.He had put on a complete show of resigning himself to his fate these two days.He cried bitterly, admitting that he was greedy for life and afraid of death, admitting that he could not help but feel fear after knowing his opponent was Jiang Wang. He was pained and self-reproachful, stating that he was willing to accept any punishment, and at the same time hoped that he could use his useful body to atone for his sins...And Du Ruhuai had never expressed his stance.This unspoken attitude terrified him.Now that the Yellow River Meeting had just ended, Du Ruhuai directly carried him and flew back to Zhuang State, like carrying a meat dog waiting to be slaughtered to the slaughterhouse. He did not even bother to maintain any pretense in front of others—or rather, showing Zhuang State's disdain for such a coward as him was already Du Ruhuai's pretense.What to do?He no longer had the ability to influence the interests at the Yellow River Meeting. Separated from such a grand event as the Yellow River Meeting, compared to the overall situation of the world, the power of young heavenly prides was still too weak.And his own value...Although he considered his value to be extremely high, far exceeding the likes of Fu Baosong and Li Jianqiu.But perhaps in the eyes of Zhuang Gaoxian and Du Ruhuai, a Lin Zhenren who died on the Stage of River Observation could embody more value than a Lin Zhenren who survived.The truth of Maple Forest City was something he had deduced and then hinted to Zhu Weimei. How could he not know how this monarch and minister would calculate!These two people would only compare him who died in battle with him who survived. So he was the number one among the younger generation of Zhuang State today, and now he is also being held by the back of his neck and suspended like a puppy!What to do!Lin Zhenren struggled to gather the strength of his whole body, and spoke with difficulty in the fierce wind: "Zhenren knows that even death is not enough to atone for this crime, but fortunately, everyone in the unrestricted area withdrew from the competition, so our Zhuang State is not particularly conspicuous..."The wind continued to howl.Du Ruhuai was obviously indifferent to his "reminder".The nature of his withdrawal was completely different from theirs. Of course, he knew this well.But he still had to mention it to struggle for himself.The path is forged step by step. Even if there was a sliver of possibility, he would not let it go.After enduring the biting wind for a while, Lin Zhenren said again: "I truly hate my own incompetence for not being able to stop him. That traitor Jiang Wang actually won the top prize. This person hates the country so much, has such talent, has won this honor, and is in powerful Qi. He has become a serious hidden danger for our Zhuang State!"The clouds and scenery rapidly receded, but the wind blades remained.Lin Zhenren asked with difficulty: "Have you thought about... how to deal with him?"In the fierce wind, Du Ruhuai's voice finally sounded: "You don't need to worry about this anymore."Lin Zhenren's heart relaxed, but his face was even more pained: "Yes... I am already a doomed man. It doesn't matter whether I worry or not. It's just... cough cough cough!"He swallowed a few mouthfuls of wind, coughed violently for a while, and then continued: "If you decide to deal with him, I am a very useful tool. My entire clan died at his hands, and we have a deep-seated blood feud. I am his stain, and my very existence is proof of his evil deeds."Du Ruhuai suddenly stopped, still holding Lin Zhenren by the back of his neck with one hand, lifting him up slightly, and looking down at him.Du Ruhuai, who had always been kind to others, showed some of the dignity of a national chancellor in this state.He looked at Lin Zhenren with deep eyes: "I actually very much doubt now, did your entire Lin clan... truly die by Jiang Wang's hand?"The distrust and disdain in these words were already so obvious, but the heavy stone in Lin Zhenren's heart instead fell.Only if he truly wanted to use this matter would Du Ruhuai need to consider its truthfulness.So he... found his value to Du Ruhuai!Lin Zhenren tried his best to control his painful expression, making himself more humble and obedient: "Wangjiang City is Wangjiang City of Zhuang State. This matter can be as true as you want it to be. I am willing to cooperate in any way."There was no response.The gale howled past, and a wisp of thin cloud spun in the air, a lonely whirl.